Considered to be the consensus No. 2 quarterback in the 2025 NFL Draft class, Shedeur Sanders once was expected to be long gone by the time the Pittsburgh Steelers made their first-round pick.

Not anymore. The former Colorado quarterback and son of Hall of Fame cornerback Deion Sanders has seen his stock slide in the eyes of some draft experts. The Steelers, who hold the No. 21 overall pick, even are bringing Sanders in for a top-30 draft visit this week as they continue to search for a franchise quarterback.

Although it remains a longshot that Sanders will be available for the Steelers, longtime ESPN draft guru Mel Kiper Jr., didn’t rule it out Wednesday on a conference call.

“It’s a possibility,” Kiper said. “It’s happened before.”

Kiper then provided a history lesson, mentioning a handful of times a highly regarded quarterback dropped in the draft, including an aging passer who is being courted by the Steelers this offseason.

“(Aaron) Rodgers slid to 24,” Kiper said. “(Brett) Favre slid out of the first round entirely. Boomer (Esiason) slid out of the first round. Geno Smith slid out of the first round. Chad Pennington dropped to 18.

“To me, yes, it can happen.”

Miami’s Cam Ward is viewed as the top quarterback and potential No. 1 overall draft pick by Tennessee. The next two teams, Cleveland and the New York Giants, are in the hunt for quarterbacks as well.

In his final mock draft, his fourth iteration, Kiper joined the list of people predicting that Sanders would fall — just not beyond the top 10. He slotted the New Orleans Saints at No. 9 as Sanders’ destination. The next team with an unsettled quarterback situation is the Steelers.

Kiper has the Steelers taking Oregon defensive tackle Derrick Harmon in the first round, with his third-ranked quarterback, Mississippi’s Jaxson Dart, going to the Los Angeles Rams at No. 26.

Sanders remains Kiper’s top-rated quarterback, and he agrees with ESPN colleague Matt Miller that Sanders is the most accurate passer in the draft. Sanders completed 74% of his attempts last season at Colorado.

“We know he doesn’t have the strongest of arms. We know he doesn’t run a 4.6, but his decision-making accuracy (is an) A,” Kiper said. “What are all these coaches screaming about? ‘He’s got to be a better decision-maker, he’s got to be more accurate.’ That’s what this kid does: throws with anticipation, hangs tough in the pocket. Yes, he’s got to get the ball out (faster). They all do a tick faster. He took too many sacks. Well, that offensive line was horrible.”

Sanders passed for 4,134 yards in his final collegiate season, and he had 37 touchdown passes to 10 interceptions. He was sacked 42 times, including eight by Baylor, six by Kansas State and Oklahoma State and four times by BYU in the Alamo Bowl.

As they await a decision from the 41-year-old Rodgers on their contract offer, the Steelers have scouted most of the top passers in this draft class. They have brought in Dart and second-day quarterback Tyler Shough for top-30 visits. They also have watched Alabama’s Jalen Milroe, Ohio State’s Will Howard, Notre Dame Ryan Leonard and Texas’ Quinn Ewers at their pro days.

That they are bringing in Sanders for an official visit shows the Steelers’ intent on improving the quarterback position. Mason Rudolph and Skylar Thompson are the only quarterbacks under contract.

Kiper, though, believes it’s more likely the Steelers will address the defensive line in the first round. He gave the nod to Harmon over Mississippi’s Walter Nolen and Michigan’s Kenneth Grant, whom he views as second-round picks.

“I thought he would be a good guy to help the line and learn from Cameron Heyward,” Kiper said. “I see a lot of similarities there. He’s got great character, size and arm length. He made a lot of disruptive plays at Oregon.”

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